Robert E. Vardeman

THE SWORD OR THE PLOWSHARE... The destruction of the interplanetary communications net has isolated planets across the Republic of the Sphere. On Mirach, a widening schism in the military between those who would remain loyal to The Republic and those who would break away threatens the peace and prosperity that have lasted for generations. Once a formidable MechWarrior, governor Sergio Ortega now believes that diplomacy will win the day. His sons, Dale and Austin, are also stalwarts of The Republic and aspiring MechWarriors. Facing growing civil unrest, they urge a military show of force before events spiral out of control. But Mirach has no BattleMechs, and their pacifistic father is slashing military spending. But when power-hungry forces within the government begin plotting to overthrow it by any means necessary-including assassination-Austin must rebel against everything he's known to fight for the safety and freedom of Mirach...even if that means facing off against his own father...

Derrick can't catch a break. His clients don't pay for work done and he's getting hungry. When an easy job comes his way, he jumps on recovering the holy relic stolen from a church. Derrick doesn't care that he has to find the skeleton of a saint. Finding things is easy. Things get worse when he has to enter the virtual reality game Funland Kill Zone to retrieve the bones from the thief, an eerie creature known as Doctor Tenebrous. Adding to his problems, killer clowns and giant trolls and the threat of a zombie invasion of the real world make it impossible to complete his job--his quest. To triumph, to get paid and to save the real world from a horde of blood-thirsty zombies, he has to scale the Tower of Lunacy, turn off the lunar-powered bone laser and defeat Doctor Tenebrous. And this is only the start of Derrick's problems. With his companions, the elf Eloian and her companion, Jo-jo the dog-faced boy, and a talking stuffed clockwork parrot toy, Boldheart, he has to find the way back to his own world or forever be trapped in a VR game. Join the adventure with Derick in this illustrated lit gaming novel.

All the majesty and mayhem of Greek mythology springs to life once more in the powerful second novel based on the bestselling and critically acclaimed God of War(R) franchise. Once the mighty warrior Kratos was a slave to the gods, bound to do their savage bidding. After destroying Ares, the God of War, Kratos was granted his freedom by Zeus--and even given the ousted god's throne on Olympus. But the other gods of the pantheon didn't take kindly to Kratos's ascension and, in turn, conspired against him. Banished, Kratos must ally himself with the despised Titans, ancient enemies of the Olympians, in order to take revenge and silence the nightmares that haunt him. God of War II takes the videogame's action to electrifying new heights, and adds ever more fascinating layers to the larger-than-life tale of Kratos.

Offering deeper insights into the critically acclaimed God of War(R) franchise, this novel returns us to the dark world of ancient Greek mythology explored in the heart-pounding action of God of War I, the bestselling video game. A brutal warrior, Kratos is a slave to the gods of Olympus. Plagued by the nightmares of his past and yearning for freedom, the Ghost of Sparta would do anything to be free of his debt to the gods. He is on the verge of losing all hope when the gods give him one last task to end his servitude. He must destroy Ares, the god of war. But what chance does a mere mortal have against a god? Armed with the deadly chained Blades of Chaos, guided by the goddess Athena, and driven by his own insatiable thirst for vengeance, Kratos seeks the only relic powerful enough to slay Ares . . . a quest that will take him deep into the mysterious temple borne by the Titan Cronos From the black depths of Hades to the war-torn city of Athens to the lost desert beyond, God of War sheds a brutal new light on the bestselling video game and on the legend of Kratos.

This fifth book of a six-part series tying in with the VOR adventure game is set on a future Earth trapped in another universe. A meteor has crashed into the Central American jungle, radiating intense and deadly energy. Two deadly aliens are hurtling toward Earth to suck up the meteor's powers and kill any humans who stand in their way.